John Oliver Explains Why You Should Care About Tomorrow’s Elections

The presidential election might still be a year away, but during last night’s Last Week Tonight, John Oliver explained why tomorrow’s local elections in states like Mississippi, Kentucky, New Jersey, and Virginia are worth more focus than any presidential speculation right now. Thanks to the Medicaid gap, the availability of health insurance hangs in the balance for half a million people in those states, and if we’re all too caught up in another presidential election (which Oliver points out “will have lasted the entire lifespan of a hamster”), we might elect local leaders whose plan is to cut people off entirely from their health insurance. Or as Oliver puts it, “Healthcare is like a pair of gym shorts: even if it covers nearly all of what it’s supposed to, you’re still left with some problematic gaps, and terrible things can happen.”